Got $32m? Jackie O's 'Love Boat' for sale

By Sheena McKenzie for CNN

Updated 9:09 AM ET, Thu July 4, 2013

Aristotle Onassis' superyacht for sale11 photos

Sail into history – Introducing Christina O, the former yacht of shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. But this isn't just any old luxury liner -- it's the backdrop to one of the most high-profile romances of the 20th century.

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Aristotle Onassis' superyacht for sale11 photos

Aristotle and Jackie – It was on board the 99-meter vessel that Onassis married former U.S. first lady, Jackie Kennedy. Now the elegant boat has been put up for sale for a whopping $32 million.

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Aristotle Onassis' superyacht for sale11 photos

Ocean wedding – The pair wed in 1968, sailing to Onassis' private island Scorpios. It certainly wasn't the first romance on the elegant yacht.

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Aristotle Onassis' superyacht for sale11 photos

Cruising with Callas – Before Jackie, Onassis embarked on a whirlwind love affair with opera singer Maria Callas (pictured in 1959). The yacht played host to a number of Hollywood stars, including Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, and Elizabeth Taylor.

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Aristotle Onassis' superyacht for sale11 photos

Churchill at sea – It wasn't just screen sirens schmoozing on board. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (pictured) also met U.S. President John F Kennedy for the first time on the yacht.

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Aristotle Onassis' superyacht for sale11 photos

Top deck – In 2001, the tired-looking vessel was restored to her former glory, and now boasts a mosaic top deck pool which can be converted into a dance floor.

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Aristotle Onassis' superyacht for sale11 photos

Luxury living – The elegant boat can accommodate 36 guests in 18 sumptuous staterooms. It also has all the luxury facilities you'd expect of a modern day superyacht, such as a fitness center, beauty salon, and jacuzzi.

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Aristotle Onassis' superyacht for sale11 photos

Playground for the rich – When not lounging by the top deck bar, more adventurous guests can test out the on board jetskis and windsurf equipment.

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Aristotle Onassis' superyacht for sale11 photos

Songs of praise – The luxury lounge area still has the original piano where Maria Callas and Frank Sinatra would entertain guests.

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Aristotle Onassis' superyacht for sale11 photos

Stairway to heaven – "It really was the last word in opulence and many personalities were attracted by its ability to offer them some privacy, not just by its magnificence," said Nicholas Edmiston, chairman of the yacht company Edmiston, which plans to sell the vessel mid-August.

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Aristotle Onassis' superyacht for sale11 photos

All aboard – Onassis died in 1975, leaving the yacht to his daughter Christina in his will. She, in turn, bequeathed it to the Greek government as a presidential yacht.

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Story highlights

Christina O, former superyacht of Aristotle Onassis, up for sale

Onassis wed former U.S. first lady Jackie Kennedy on board luxury vessel

Expected to fetch more than $32 million when goes on sale in mid-August

If this yacht could talk, one can only imagine the stories it would tell about one of the most high-profile romances of the 20th century.

The stately superyacht Christina O isn't just a gorgeous 99-meter vessel. It's the palatial setting where billionaire shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis married Jackie Kennedy, the former wife of U.S. President John F Kennedy.

Now the luxury liner which played host to the crème de la crème of 1950s high society -- including Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and John Wayne -- has gone on sale for a whopping $32 million.

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In 1956 Prince Rainier of Monaco and U.S. screen siren Grace Kelly held their wedding reception on the boat, which accommodates 36 guests in 18 sumptuous staterooms.

Onassis' own love affair with opera singer Maria Callas also played out on board, as they cruised exotic locations across Europe in the company of Hollywood stars Greta Garbo, Bette Davis and Margot Fonteyne.

However, the affair ended abruptly when the tycoon courted President Kennedy's widow, Jackie, later marrying on the very same yacht in 1968, near his private island of Scorpios.

"Aristotle Onassis saw Christina O as a powerful symbol of his growing business empire," said Nicholas Edmiston, chairman of the yacht company Edmiston, which plans to sell the vessel mid-August.

"It really was the last word in opulence and many personalities were attracted by its ability to offer them some privacy, not just by its magnificence."

It's been quite a journey for the boat which began life in 1943 as a World War II surplus Canadian frigate.

A decade later, Onassis bought the boat for just $34,000, gutting the interior and spending $4 million -- the equivalent of $45 million today -- converting her into one of the luxurious superyachts in the world.

In 1975, Onassis died and the yacht was left to his daughter, Christina, in his will. She in turn bequeathed it to the Greek government as a presidential yacht.

More than 20 years later, the tired-looking vessel was restored to its former glory, and now boasts an art deco dining room where Maria Callas and Frank Sinatra used to perform, an atrium with onyx pillars, and a mosaic pool which converts into a dance floor.